Share This Story!

West Point football player dies in Croton crash

WEST POINT - Cadet Brandon Jackson, a West Point Army football player from New York City, died in a single-car crash in Croton-on-Hudson hours after the military academy won its second consecutive game to open the season.

WEST POINT - Cadet Brandon Jackson, a West Point Army football player from New York City, died in a single-car crash in Croton-on-Hudson hours after the military academy won its second consecutive game to open the season.

Croton police continue to investigate the death of Jackson, 20, of Queens in the 1:50 a.m. crash Sunday on Route 9, south of the 129 Municipal Place exit, Croton Police Detective Sgt. John Nikitopoulos said Monday.

Police said the vehicle struck the guardrail.

Nikitopoulos said the department's accident reconstruction team will try to determine the vehicle's speed and consider other factors that could have caused the crash.

"Very possibly, this was just a tragic accident," Nikitopoulos said. "We have no reason to believe anything else, at the moment."

The Westchester Medical Examiner's Office also is investigating.

Jackson, a member of the class of 2019, was a starting defensive back and recorded two solo tackles and one assist in the Army Black Knights' 31-14 home win Saturday over Rice. Army is 2-0.

Head coach Jeff Monken said the team was in mourning.

"Words cannot describe the grief that our team is feeling over the loss of our brother and friend, Brandon," Monken said in a statement released by West Point on Monday. "He was a beloved teammate and our hearts are with his family at this time of tragedy."

West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. said in a letter to the academy's community that Jackson was following the example of his mother, an Iraq War veteran. He said Jackson was a graduate of Holy Cross High School in Flushing who grew up rooting for Army football and was fulfilling his "life-long dream" of playing on the military academy's team.

He said Jackson was a management major, a member of the cultural affairs club, and enjoyed bike riding, playing basketball and chess.

"His classmates, instructors, coaches and friends at West Point remember him best for his warm smile, sense of humor and love of competition," he added.

"We will honor his life as we mourn the untimely death of a young man who had a promising future as a leader in service to our Nation," he concluded.